Hog Production and Marketing

Excerpts: Hogs are one of the most important sources of meat for human consumption. They are important in American agriculture because (1) they are produced by a large number of farmers; (2) they are consumed by large numbers of urban and rural people; (3) in the form of pork and lard they become two of the most important commodities in foreign and domestic commerce. Hogs rank second in number and third in total value of farm animals in the United States, being exceeded in number by cattle and in value by cattle and horses. Hogs are produced on three-fourths (75.2 per cent) of the farms in the United States and represent over 10 per cent of the value of the Nation's agricultural production. Hogs in the United States are closely connected with the corn crop. Nearly two-thirds of the commercial production of pork is in that portion of the Ignited States known as the Corn Belt. The brief sketch that follows aims to trace changes and relations so as to show how economic forces operate on the production of, demand for, and prices of hogs.